In 2020, Manchester United paid £9m to sign attacker Facundo Pellistri from Uruguayan club Penarol, snapping him up at source rather than waiting for him to flourish in Europe and drive up his price tag.
In the first transfer window after his arrival in Manchester, Pellistri was loaned to Spanish club Alaves, and he would play his football there for 18 months before returning to United.
After a season and a half at Old Trafford, Pellistri made another temporary move to La Liga in January, this time joining Granada. Now 22, it's unclear whether he'll make it at Erik ten Hag's side, or whether they'll eventually look to sell him on for a profit.
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Pellistri's somewhat underwhelming impact hasn't dissuaded United from exploring the South American market, though, and they're now in contention to sign an exciting talent from Brazil.
Man Utd battle Man City and Chelsea for Thalys
As reported by Italian outlet Calciomercato, Man Utd have joined the race to sign Thalys from Palmeiras. The Red Devils are hoping to prevail in a battle featuring Premier League rivals Manchester City and Chelsea and European giants like Barcelona, Juventus and PSG.
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Palmeiras have slapped a price tag of up to €40m (about £34m) on Thalys, though they may be amenable to a lower fee if they're guaranteed a healthy sell-on clause.
"Immense" Thalys could follow Endrick to Europe
An 18-year-old, left-footed centre-forward who's also played as a second striker and an inverted right winger, Thalys has passed every test he's faced since arriving at Palmeiras in 2021.
He scored 15 goals across his first two seasons with the under-17s, including seven on his side's run to Brazilian Cup glory, and he won Player of the Tournament at the FAM Cup too.
In 2022, he was part of the Palmeiras under-19 squad that headed to the Czech Republic to compete in the prestigious CEE Cup, and he was once again named the tournament's best player after netting three times.
He's now reached eight goals for the under-20s, including two in two in the Copa Libertadores (a continental competition), and signed a new contract in October that runs until 2026.
Described as "immense" by under-23 scout Antonio Mango, he's already commanding a huge fee considering that he hasn't played any first-team football, but the extent of the interest puts Palmeiras in a strong position. Perhaps this year we'll see him take the step to the first team, and then follow in the footsteps of Endrick, who's due to join Real Madrid in July.
